Water bottle cage and method

ABSTRACT

A water bottle cage comprising two mating sections formed of injection molded plastic, is disclosed. The two sections define a bayonet snap assembly which maintains alignment of the two sections, permits easy pivotal joining and release of the two sections, and locks the two sections upon insertion of a water bottle. Alternatively, the two sections can be permanently joined, for example, by ultrasonic bonding.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 889,794 filed July 24,1986.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to water bottle cages for bicycles andother vehicles and, in particular, to a plastic water bottle cage.

Conventional water bottle cages are made of metal and, thus, aretypically relatively heavy. To decrease weight, such cages are formed asskeleton-like structures which can be relatively intricate and difficultand expensive to fabricate. Forming such a cage involves drawing andbending the metal into various curves and angles to form theskeleton-like structure, then joining the structure to a relatively flatmounting bracket which is used for attachment to the bicycle frame.

Recently, in attempts to decrease the weight of such water bottle cagesfurther, relatively lightweight metals such as aluminum have been usedin their construction. Notwithstanding these efforts, conventional waterbottle cages are still relatively heavy as well as intricate.

In view of the above discussion, it is desirable to have, and it is anobject of the present invention to provide, a lightweight water bottlecage which is also easy to manufacture.

It is a related object of the present invention to provide a waterbottle cage which is lightweight, easy to manufacture and suitable forhigh volume, low cost production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other objects are achieved in a working embodiment of mywater bottle cage which comprises two lightweight, flexible highstrength sections that are interlocked by a separable bayonet latch orsnap assembly. The bayonet snap assembly is specifically designed topermit ease of joining and separation of the two cage parts when a waterbottle is not positioned within the cage. When a bottle is in the cage,the bottle securely locks the bayonet latch assembly. Preferably, thecage is formed of lightweight, high strength material such asfiber-reinforced polymer which is readily formed into the two-part cageusing techniques such as injection molding.

Alternatively, the two cage sections can be joined permanently, forexample, by ultrasonic welding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects of the present invention are described withrespect to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a presently preferredembodiment of my water bottle cage;

FIG. 2 is an exploded top plan view of my water bottle cage shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts the mounting of my water bottle cage to a bicycle;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are partial, cross-sectional views taken, respectively,along lines 4--4 and 5--5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial, vertical section through (and depicting the methodof joining the two constituent members of) my water bottle cage;

FIG. 7 is a partial, vertical section view, similar to FIG. 6, of theassembled water bottle cage of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 8-10 depict alternative embodiments of the water bottle cage ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 3 illustrates the use of a presently preferred embodiment 10 of mywater bottle cage to mount a water bottle, shown in phantom at 11, tothe frame 13 of a bicycle 14. Typically, the cage 10 is attached to thebicycle frame 11 by mounting means such as clamps or straps 12.Alternatively, the cage 10 can be attached directly to the bicycle byscrews.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cage 10 comprises two sections 16 and 17 whichare joined by a bayonet snap or latch assembly 18. The use of thebayonet snap assembly 18 permits the cage to be formed in two sectionswhich are releasably joined, while the use of two sections allows thecage to be formed of high strength, low weight material such as carbonfiber-reinforced polymer which, in turn, is readily formed usinginjection molding.

Rear section 16 of the cage 10 is a generally L-shaped member whichincludes rear upright 21 and base member 22. The rear upright 21 is alsoa mounting bracket and typically is about one-half to three-quarters ofan inch wide to fit securely against a bicycle frame tube such as 13,FIG. 1. The upright 21 includes a hole 23 and a vertically elongatedslot 24 for providing adjustable attachment to the clamps 12, FIG. 1, ordirectly to the bicycle frame tube 13, using screws (not shown). Thefront section 17 of the cage 10 includes a generally bifurcated Y-shapedbase 25 which comprises member 26 and bifurcated angled members 27 and28, which extend generally horizontally forward then bend rearward andupward into uprights 29 and 31, which are angled forward at the top intoa generally horizontally-extending forwardly concave cross-member 32.

The rear upright 21, base members 22, 26, 27 and 28, uprights 29 and 31and concave member 32 cooperate to resiliently yet securely engage thewater bottle 11. Specifically, the configuration of the cage conforms tothe outline and, generally, to the size of the bottle such as 11 withthe exception that, preferably, when the cage is assembled, thedistance, d, between the concave member 32 and the rear upright 21 isslightly less than the corresponding diameter of the bottle 11. Asmentioned, the cage is formed of slightly resilient material. As aresult of the slight flexure of the material which comprises the waterbottle cage, and the flexure at bends 33 and 34 in the front uprights aswell as that at the bend 35 in the rear upright, the uprights arereadily moved apart to facilitate insertion of a bottle 11 into thecage, and resiliently apply compressive force to securely retain theinserted bottle against accidental removal. Also and as is bestillustrated in FIG. 3, the upper section 36 of the rear upright 21 isoriented at a small forward angle relative to the lower body of the rearupright to provide a snug, secure fit against the shoulder of the waterbottle.

BAYONET SNAP ASSEMBLY 18

The construction of the bayonet snap or latch assembly 18 is illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 4-7. Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the rearbase member 22 includes a pair of longitudinally-extending grooves42--42 and the front base member 25 includes a pair of mating,longitudinally-extending ribs 46--46 which fit within the grooves 42--42to align the front section 17 relative to the rear section 16. The ribs46--46 are of sufficient size to provide a slight friction fit withinthe grooves 42--42.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, bayonet snap assembly 18 also includes apair of latches 44 and 48, both of which are part of front base section26. A first, horizontally-extending latch 44 abuts lip 43 of the rearbase section 22 and serves two functions. First, it provides a pivotsupport against lip 43 to permit pivotal insertion of the front cagesection 17 into the rear section 16, as indicated by arrow 50, FIG. 6.Secondly, in abutting against lip 43, the latch 44 prevents rearwardmovement of the front cage section relative to the rear cage section.

The second latch 48 extends vertically, is flexible, and also serves twofunctions. First, the latch 48 is pivoted out of the way by mating lip47 during insertion of the front cage section 17 and then snaps intoplace against the lip to hold the front section within the rear sectionand prevent accidental release. Secondly, the inserted latch 48 abutsagainst a transverse rib 49 of the rear section 16 and thereby preventsforward movement of the front cage section 17 away from the rear cagesection 16. As mentioned above, insertion of the bottle 11 (FIG. 3) intothe assemblied cage 10 spreads apart the forward and rear cage sectionsat the top thereof. The resulting compressive fit of the bottle 11within the cage 10 securely retains the bottle within the cage. In turn,the bottle prevents the front section 17 from pivoting relative to rearsection 16 and thus securely locks the front section to the rearsection. When a bottle is not present in the cage, the front section 17can be intentionally removed, easily, by pivoting the front sectionupwardly in the reverse direction of arrow 50, FIG. 6.

In summary, the resilient cage structure, the two latch mechanisms andthe mating ribs and slots cooperatively function to permit ready pivotaljoining and separation of the two cage sections, to securely hold thejoined sections together, and to lock the two cage sections togetherwhen a bottle is in place. Because of the construction of the bayonetsnap assembly 18, the two cage sections cannot be pulled apart or forcedapart horizontally or vertically. Separation requires that the frontsection be pivoted upward relative to the rear section, therebyprecluding separation when a bottle is in the cage and minimizing thepossibility of inadvertent separation at other times.

FIG. 8 depicts an alternative embodiment 10A of my water bottle cage inwhich the front and rear sections 16A and 17A are permanently joined.(In FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, components which are altered from theconstruction of FIGS. 1 through 7 are designated by a letter suffix suchas 16A and 17A.) In this permanently joined embodiment 10A, the matinggrooves 42 and ribs 46 are retained in the base but the two latchmechanisms are replaced by a pair of downward extending pegs 51 formedin the base of rear section 17A and mating receiving holes 52 formed inthe base 25A of the front section 16A. The front and rear sections areoriented and easily and precisely assembled using the mating grooves 42and ribs 46 and the mating pegs 51 and holes 52. The assembled polymersections 16A and 17A can then be permanently joined, for example, byapplying an ultrasonic bonding tool at locations such as 53--53.

FIG. 9 discloses another, permanently joined alternative embodiment 10Bof my water bottle cage.

Here, base 25B of the front cage section 16B has a longitudinal hole 55which is flanked by a pair of smaller longitudinal holes 56. The base ofrear section 17B comprises mating, longitudinal peg 54 and smaller pegs58. The large peg 54 provides the main support while the smaller pegs 58provide accurate, automatic alignment of the rear section 17B relativeto the front section 16B. The automatically aligned, assembled front andrear sections can be permanently joined by ultrasonic bonding, forexample, by applying an ultrasonic bonding tool at locations such as57--57.

FIG. 10 discloses still another permanently joined embodiment 10C of mywater bottle cage. Here, the base grooves 42 and ribs 46 are retainedand are used in conjunction with a pair of mating longitudinal extendingpegs (only one peg, 60, is shown) and mating holes 58 and 59, the matingpegs and holes provide automatic alignment and support for the assembledfront and rear sections 16C and 17C. Again, ultrasonic bonding can beused to permanently join the assembled, polymer front and rear sections,for example, by applying an ultrasonic bonding tool at locations such as61--61.

Other embodiments and variations will be readily derived by those ofusual skill in the art such as, for example, the use of various numbersand configurations of mating pegs and holes and the use of rivetsinstead of pegs.

The above-described bicycle bottle cage 10 has been readily molded usingstandard injection molding technology, a two-part mold for the frontcage section 17 and the rear section 16, and carbon fiber reinforcedpolymer material. A presently preferred material is lexan polycarbonate,specifically 30 percent GF polycarbonate. Those of usual skill in theart will appreciate that while this carbon fiber-containing polymermaterial is a presently preferred material, other materials or compoundswhich have the desired characteristics of flexibility and moldability,and which retain form and strength in hot weather and do not becomebrittle in cold weather are also suitable for this application. Inaddition to lexan polycarbonate polymer, other suitable polymermaterials include merlon polycarbonate; polyamide, for example, nylonzytel, rilsan or ultramide; acetel, for example, delrin or ultraform;polyester; and polysulfone. In addition, optional reinforcement fibersfor the polymer material include in addition to carbon, graphite;aromatic polyimide; and glass.

In view of the preferred and alternative embodiments of my inventionwhich is described here, it will be appreciated that the scope of theinvention is limited solely by the claims and that those of skill in theart will develop other modifications and embodiments based upon thedescriptions here which are encompassed within the claims.

I claim:
 1. A water bottle cage comprising:a generally L-shaped supportsection comprising first leg means and first base means and a generallyL-shaped mating cage section comprising second leg means and a secondbase means, each section being formed of flexible plastic material; saidfirst and second base means each including a surface oriented andconfigured for mating against the corresponding surface of the otherbase, said first and second base means further including cooperatingmale and female joining means for aligning and assembling said supportand cage sections with said surfaces mating against one another; meansjoining said first and second base means at said surfaces; and, further,the second leg means comprising a pair of spaced legs for cooperatingwith the first leg means to hold a bottle therebetween.
 2. The waterbottle cage of claim 1 wherein the joining means is selected from amechanical latch and an ultrasonic bond.
 3. A method for forming a waterbottle cage from two mating plastic sections, comprising:forming twomating cage sections from plastic material using the technique ofplastic molding, one section being a generally L-shaped support sectioncomprising first leg means and first base means and the second sectionbeing a generally L-shaped mating cage section comprising second legmeans and second base means; said first and second base means eachincluding a surface oriented and configured for mating against thecorresponding surface of the other base; said first and second basemeans further including cooperating mating male and female joining meansfor aligning and assembling said first and second cage sections withsaid surfaces mating against one another; and the second leg meanscomprising a pair of spaced legs for cooperating with the first legmeans to hold a bottle therebetween; assembling the two sections at themating first and second base means; and bonding together the twoassembled sections.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bonding stepcomprises ultrasonically bonding the assembled sections together.
 5. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the forming step comprises injection moldingthe two sections using lexan polycarbonate polymer.
 6. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the forming step comprises injection molding the twosections from material selected from the group consisting of polymermaterial and polymer material reinforced by fiber.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the fiber reinforcing material is selected from thegroup consisting of carbon, graphite, aromatic polyimide and glass. 8.The method of claim 5 or 7, wherein the polymer material is selectedfrom the group consisting of polycarbonate, polyamide, polyester andpolysulfone.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the polycarbonatematerial is selected from the group consisting of lexan polycarbonateand merlon polycarbonate.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein thepolyamide material is selected from the group consisting of nylon,zytel, rilsan and ultramide.